Karen Lukacs a textile design studio » ClothesLine

RE-VISIONS: Art Made from Reclaimed Materials

Karen — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:06:45 +0000

invitation with work by Don Baker and Barbara Brandel

Re-Visions 2009, was the fourth exhibit at Tohono Chul Park for art made from reclaimed materials. Creative work from 31 Tucson-area artists was on display.

Peggy Hazard, then assistant exhibit curator at Tohono Chul Park, reminds us that, “folk recycling has taken place in the creative expressions of people all over the world, such as houses and grottoes built from glass bottles, ubiuqitous ‘muffler men’ standing on the curbs of almost every U.S. town, or the resourceful mid-twentieth century practice of stitching flour sacks into dishtowels, quilts, and clothing. These expressions are refereshing antidotes to the mass production of bland, soon-obsolete objects and the depletion of the earth’s resources.”

my transformed fashion in good company with Janet Soares' work

This first photo shows a vignette of my upcycled and transformed fashion. Sorry for the bad photo and blinding flash, but this is my only documentation. It was a delightful assemblage of textures and colorways.

“Sigrid”, a reclaimed and transformed coat with appliqued felted sweater petals, appeared in the premiere issue of Altered Couture magazine. This coat was also featured in my solo show Transformations: Rescued clothing into Re-imagined Couture, at the Art Institute Tucson.

On the wall, and in the case are carryall bags handcrafted from recycled sweaters. Each one has been thoughtfully crafted and skillfully executed…guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind.

Janet Soares is the creator of the stunning upholstery fabric on the chair and ottoman. The fabric is hooked from discarded wool clothing that is over-dyed and cut into strips. Stunning.

hobo sweater bag with belt handle and necktie clutch

Inside the case, the hobo tote is fashioned from an old Michael Simons’ sweater and a black belt strap. A blue and green vintage necktie is transformed into a hard case miniaudiere with an embellishement upcycled from a thrift store earring. The combo sits well alongside Jenni Pagano’s jewelry from bits of felted sweaters and recycled beads.

The Tohono Chul Park Re-Invisions show ran 21 May through 23 August 2009 at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N Paseo del Norte, Tucson, Arizona 85704 www.tohonochulpark.org

invitation to the Art Institute Tucson show with "Sigrid" on the front

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Belle Armoire article on Thrift Store Transformation

Karen — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:20:04 +0000

”Old garments and accesssories metamorphize into new creations…”

A thrift store find, this baby blue crew neck sweater, was transformed into a Chanel-style jacket. “Coco” was published in the January/February 2008 issue of Belle Armoire magazine.

article in Belle Armoire on "Coco"

The sweater was steeked up the front and the lace panels were added to make a wider bodice. This cotton lace yardage was crocheted by my grandmother many, many moons ago. She trimmed most all of her home items with hand crocheted lace. Stained from age, the lace, once removed from the worn draperies, was thrown into a dye bath. The dye took in this mottled blue /green colorway. Until this project, the perfect application, it had been in my own stored goodies.

Sweater sleeves were cut to a three-quarter length. With the remaining lace, cuffs and a standup collar were added. There remained a couple of little pieces of lace, which were just right to fashion mock pockets.

And now, for the finishing. Silk dupioni lining and a bit of bling. The sparkles came from an old, acrylic sweater…a thrift store find. The sweater would never be worn again, but the beads still had life in them. Each bead was hand sewn onto the jacket, in a free form design, both front and back.

“Coco” also hung in the show, Karen Lukacs: Transformations, at the Art Institute of Tucson, first quarter, 2009.

Altered Couture article

Karen — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 01:55:11 +0000

Featured in the premiere issue of Altered Couture magazine is this felted and appliqued wool coat. The original jacket was riddled with moth holes and too large. After a few rounds in the washer and dryer, it fit but still too many holes. Circular rounds of felted wool sweaters were free-form appliqued over the garment’s holes. Gradually, the process morphed into this design. Collar, lapels and buttons were removed. Side seams now have slits to help balance the skewing of the fabric (off grain cut of the original designer label.) Sleeves were cut to sit at bracelet length. The final finishing is a textured microsuede trim applied all around. Photo of the coat after the felting process and before the transformation.

Quite a difference. The challenge in altering thrift store clothing is to make it not look like a recycled piece.